Rozetta Lezer Lopesdias-Van Thyn, left, and a friend, with the compulsory Star of David on their clothing. Amsterdam, the Netherlands, May 1942-1943.
(Two women with the Jewish Star of David on their clothes) The Jewish people were singled out mainly through census records. Census records were used to get a picture of the population in a certain area. The census records included the name of either the head of the household or the names of everyone in the household, their age, whether or not they were a citizen, and their ethnicity. Another way the Nazis knew who was Jewish was by the the membership lists of synagogues. The Nazis also required mandatory registration of Jews and some people would turn in their Jewish neighbors. Initially you were considered Jewish if you had a Jewish parent. Later you were Jewish if you had even one Jewish grandparent. When you were found to be Jewish you would be transferred to the ghettos and then eventually either a work camp or a concentration camp. It was also mandatory for Jewish people to have the star of David on their clothing to show people that they were Jewish. Once you were in the concentration camps you would have to wear a uniform that showed what classification you were under, because Jewish was not the only classification in the camps. They also took communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, gypsies, Africans, and Poles. If you want to learn more about the classification system within the concentration camps click here.
The Jewish people were singled out mainly through census records. Census records were used to get a picture of the population in a certain area. The census records included the name of either the head of the household or the names of everyone in the household, their age, whether or not they were a citizen, and their ethnicity. Another way the Nazis knew who was Jewish was by the the membership lists of synagogues. The Nazis also required mandatory registration of Jews and some people would turn in their Jewish neighbors. Initially you were considered Jewish if you had a Jewish parent. Later you were Jewish if you had even one Jewish grandparent. When you were found to be Jewish you would be transferred to the ghettos and then eventually either a work camp or a concentration camp. It was also mandatory for Jewish people to have the star of David on their clothing to show people that they were Jewish. Once you were in the concentration camps you would have to wear a uniform that showed what classification you were under, because Jewish was not the only classification in the camps. They also took communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, gypsies, Africans, and Poles. If you want to learn more about the classification system within the concentration camps click here.